COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Not every student at Doherty High School may be able to vote, but for those who can, this mock election is a dry run.

“When you look at it, this is their future and they are the lowest voter turn out 18 to 24. And so, if they really want to have a say in how things are going and they want to be involved, I think it’s good to encourage it early and spark their interest now. That way later on maybe we will see a reversal in those numbers,” said Hunter Conde, U.S. government and economics teacher at Doherty High School.

The mock election even includes four local and state issues.

“Raising the minimum wage, raising tobacco taxes, and Proposition 106, and also a local school district issue with 3D,” Conde said.

“The most challenging part is probably picking a candidate because they’re both on two different sides. And it’s kind of hard because they’re both for some things that I like and they’re both against some things that I don’t like,” said Jacob Breeden, a senior at DHS.

Voting is voluntary and open to all students.

“Really, it’s just kind of lazy not to spend one day actually giving input to your country,” said Savannah Leland, another senior at DHS.

Teachers say they want students to understand the election isn’t just about voting for the president, but about a number of things.

“There’s you know, 15, 20 things you’re going to vote on, not counting judges and everything else, so it is a bit of a shock to them to realize how much is actually involved in the process,” Conde said.

Nationwide, more than 3,000,000 students voted in the last mock presidential election in 2012.